


To Give and to Grasp

by Rapis_Razuri



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Flirting, Introspection, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24686281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rapis_Razuri/pseuds/Rapis_Razuri
Summary: Entering her life without so much as an explanation and then leaving it without so much as an apology. Why was she still putting up with him again?Or: As Deirdru prepares for battle, Hilda reflects on her relationship with the leader of the Leicester Alliance.
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26
Collections: Hilclaude Week 2020





	To Give and to Grasp

**Author's Note:**

> HilClaude Week 2020  
> June 12: Loyalty

This was really happening.

She sighed, gazing up at the white sails of the vessel that was going to take him away. Oh sure, she had been as shocked as the next person when she found out and she had longer to come to terms with the information than most, but now that the day has come, she… she couldn’t help but regret that she had let all that time go to waste. Who knows when they will see each other again.

If they ever will.

 _Typical Claude._ Entering her life without so much as an explanation and then leaving it without so much as an apology. On a normal day she would be asking herself why she was still putting up with him all this time, but not today. Truthfully, she could never truly be angry with him for any of this. Claude could be annoying. And a jokester. And unnecessarily cryptic. But she knew that when the going gets tough, he was someone she could always count on, however erratic he may be.

 _Huh_. She was still thinking of him as Claude. That might prove to be awkward in the future. Imagine seeing him again years later and then addressing him by the wrong name. How embarrassing. So maybe it was time she started trying to think of him as…

_Nah... Whatever his real name is, he’ll always be Claude to me._

But it was hard for her to be sure how much of “Claude” was an artifice and how much of him was real. She liked to think “enough,” but when it came to him, who could tell, really?

She sighed again. It really wasn’t like her to be insecure where a boy was concerned. But it really wasn’t like her to make any more effort than necessary for anyone or anything either. Yet, here she was. In Deirdru, waiting for the Imperial Army to attack instead of curling up by her favorite window seat in Goneril territory with a cup of tea and a plate of her favorite cakes.

 _It’s such a beautiful day too._ She would _much_ rather be sightseeing in the streets of the Aquatic Capital—preferably with a boy (a very specific boy)—rather than fighting. How troublesome…

Still… However much she resented being dragged into battle again, she knew it wasn’t as though she could turn any from this war anymore. It would be an insult to those they have lost.

She noticed Claude making his way towards her well before he was within speaking distance. His wounds from that nightmare of a class reunion still haven’t healed and despite his best efforts to hide it, there was no ignoring that subtle limp in the way he moved.

So she took pity on him and decided to meet him halfway.

That and she needed to get away from this damned ship. No point in getting all depressed about her ex-classmate leaving Fódlan right before a big battle.

“Are they coming?”

“The Empire or the Kingdom?”

She took a moment to consider. “The Kingdom.”

“They’re coming. Just as predicted.”

She planted Freikugel on the ground and slumped against the handle in relief. “Thank the goddess. If they weren’t, we all would’ve died for nothing and it would’ve been all. Your. Fault.” Pause. “You should feel bad about that, Claude.”

“Oh, Hilda…” He leaned back dramatically, clutching his chest as though he had been struck there. “We’ve known each other for years. I even let you in on my dirty little secret, and you still have no faith in me? My poor wounded heart. Oof!”

She rolled her eyes. “You have enough faith in yourself for the both of us.”

“That’s true enough,” he snorted. “But in all seriousness, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She tilted her head curiously to the side. “Go on.”

“We’ve confirmed that Volkhard von Arundel is leading the Imperial troops.” His voice was grave for all the levity and fake smiles he displayed mere seconds ago. “Now that Fhirdiad has been retaken, this is the Empire’s last chance to stamp us out before we can throw our lot in with Faerghus.”

“I know that.” She never once regretted her loyalty to the Leicester Alliance, but she had to admit being part of the losing faction in a war really sucked. Hearing Claude speaking like that only hammered in how much they were at a disadvantage compared to the other two. “I don’t really have the head for this kind of stuff, but I get that much.”

“Hilda…” For a moment, she caught a glimpse of what lay behind the crafty schemes and easy smiles and… Of course he was tired. Not for the first time, Hilda wondered if, under all those brilliantly reasoned political arguments for stepping down and ending the Alliance, he simply wanted to go home. “Even with the Kingdom on their way, if things get bad… Promise me you won’t die here.”

He didn’t mention their fallen friends. He didn’t have to.

“Claude…”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” he said quickly. “I would like to make it through the Throat in one piece and Holst would never let that happen if you died on my watch.”

Hilda _almost_ smirked at his attempt to save face. It was not like him to be vulnerable, after all. “I promise,” she said. “But just so you know, I had no intention of dying for you first place anyway.” Because dying for the one you love was romantic and everything in songs and epic tales, but realistically, she would rather not die. She would rather they both live to see a Fódlan no longer separated from the world beyond.

“Way to make a guy feel special, Hilda.”

“Are you trying to weasel a compliment out of me?”

“Never dreamed of it.”

She grinned, victorious.

“Anyway…” Claude smiled one of his rare genuine smiles. Knowing she was one of the few people who could make him smile like that was a point of pride (and happiness) for her. “Thank you for everything, Hilda. I appreciate it. Truly. Out of all the places in my Fódlan blood could have come from, I’m glad it came from the Alliance.”

As if to emphasize the fact he knew _exactly_ what he was doing, Claude winked with all the roguish charm at his disposal before turning around and walking away, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

When she recovered, she bumped her forehead on her axe’s knob. _Using my own tricks against me,_ she thought with a groan. Hilda had gotten a taste of her own medicine and it was a bitter brew.

Well, okay. Not _really_.

She sighed and turned her gaze towards the port.

_One last time, Claude. I’m going to pull out everything I have. Just for you. Because I’m happy I got to meet you too._

**Author's Note:**

> I played Verdant Wind first, but it was Azure Moon that pushed Hilclaude into OTP territory for me. SO I wanted to contribute to HilClaude Week with a piece that reflected that :)
> 
> I personally do feel that outside of the Golden Deer route, Claude and Hilda (if not recruited into another house) would be a lot closer since Byleth wouldn’t be around.


End file.
